


Of All, None

by LynnaeKenzington



Series: Wraith!Ryan Drables and Shorts [1]
Category: Achievement Hunter
Genre: Gen, I looked up archaic words and for the one translated the previous speech bubble, Twenty guess who the mystery knight is, part of Wraith!Ryan drables, very short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 06:18:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13335228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynnaeKenzington/pseuds/LynnaeKenzington
Summary: A dying King Haywood has regrets. The greatest of which was even becoming king at all...





	Of All, None

 

_‘Thus always in ruin; by far the five’s greatest achievement.’_

  
He looked at the crimson sky stretching over his kingdom, aglow with wrathful flames that burned with more insanity than even he could be accused of mustering.

Their city had fallen yet again, but this time to the error of trying to recreate a past better left buried with their immortal bones.

A past of an old wolf’s boredom and bitter jealousy.  
A humble cowherd’s assent to royalty and power.  
A hunter’s decent into the monstrous warring beast he once slew.  
A honorable thief’s revelation of a ghostly rose’s poisonous thorns.

And of two fools who didn’t know any better.

 

 

_‘Are not ye proud Ryan?’_

He had stared at the blood covered lad, green skins glowing with the seed of maddened flames. As gently as he’d first placed it, the ever royal removed the crown of fire from the golden half breed’s head; speaking the same words he had upon that day.

_‘Oh, you fool... was this tragedy worthwhile?’_

 

 

 

“My king?”

King Haywood looked up in surprise, having realized he’d spoken the last aloud. The knight who had found him leapt from his mount at once, running down the hill to where the fallen monarch lay bleeding.

“Shit---sire, thou ist hurt!” The shorter man exclaimed with a start; almost pouncing on his wound to cover it with his own cloak, soiling the bright colors of his baseborn house. Ryan only chuckled; a mistake seeing as it brought forth yet more of his own fading life blood. “My lord, stay thee humor; or else hell come sooner for thy soul.”

  
“Harken thee, gallant carl;” the dying king said with ernest certainty, “hence I will commend my estate ere my expiry, that thee hie my corse to a fare in God’s acre and hereupon guard it with kine. Noise not or magnify of it; or else my malison will see thee orts loathly and pestilent.”

_Listen gentleman of low brith; from now on I will entrust you with all my worldly things upon my death, if you hurry my body to a shrine in a graveyard and then after guard it with cows. Don’t boast or brag or glorify (my resting place); or else my curse will view your remains as repulsive and diseased._

 

The knight looked up in shock. It wasn’t everyday a simple understudy was given the chance to rule over all.

“Sire... I am not deserving of the crown.”

Ryan snickered, staring at the bewitched object still in his hands. His gaze softened almost lovingly as he beheld the prize he had signed away his heart and soul to possess. “No one is deserving of its madness...”

 

_‘Blood begets blood, and the crown sings for it. Can you resist?’_

 

  
Suddenly King Haywood’s eyes glowed like fierce icy flames that burned beyond heat, the metal in his grasp groaned and wailed with unearthly being as it warped and bent from the frost of a litch’s undying will.  
        The knight staggered back in terror, sword half drawn in some hope of slaying the unholy thing being released from the crown---but it was unnecessary. The light, sound, and magic had died away with the Mad King....

  
****

  
Of all that had remained loyal to the ever royal only three knights of lower brith were known: Mathias of the House of Bragg; Kerry of the House of Shawcross; and Rimmithy of the House of Timmothy.

None had ever told what they knew of the king’s final request, and since there was no ruler after Haywood, none know who is the rightful burgess of the lands once known as ‘Achievement City’.

 

 

 


End file.
